


Winter Bones

by Measured



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Community: trope_bingo, F/F, Sharing Body Heat, Snow and Ice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-12
Updated: 2013-02-12
Packaged: 2017-11-29 00:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured/pseuds/Measured
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She opened her coat without even truly thinking about it, and closed it around Taiwan until they were both wrapped under it.</p><p>"Only to warm you up a while," Belarus said. "That's all."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Bones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VampirePaladin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePaladin/gifts).



> trope bingo: huddle for warmth. Title comes from a song by Stars.

The din of the party was too noisy for her taste, and she never had been fond of France, who her brother had once idolized and who had later tried an ill-fated attack that would shatter that idolization forever.

The alcohol warmed her, though Belarus barely felt the cold, not when it was like this, cold but not the bone-chilling winters she had always known. The coat was loose—it'd been passed down from her brother to hers. It came from a time when she actually believed in him.

Snow fell slowly, in small flakes. It was so cold that the snow sparkled, diamond dust over the hills. Dark haired and fine-boned with pretty features so pristine they seemed cut from glass, Taiwan swayed out. Her hands were hidden by her long red sleeves with a brocade design. She wore a party hat balanced comically on one side of her head.

"And I showed Franche," she slurred. "I showed him gooood!"

"Your coat isn't enough," Belarus said. It was a red brocade silk coat, part of her traditional outfit, but useless in this cold.

"'s cold," Taiwan agreed. She began to shiver, but made no move to go back into the building where the party was still going strong.

He cheeks were flushed, but Belarus couldn't tell if it was from alcohol, cold, or some combination of both. She stepped closer, watching China's little sister. They had never been friends, given that Taiwan had a visceral hatred of communism, and not even China could connect them, given Taiwan's feelings towards her older brother China.

Still, Belarus would have to be blind to not notice how pretty she was, so petite and bright, with dark shining hair which seemed a direct contrast to Belarus's white blond hair. And even if Taiwan wouldn't die, it would be a shame for someone so beautiful to get frozen. She didn't know winter as Belarus did. Belarus imagined Taiwan laying out in the snow as she had before, in a drunken stupor, and waking to find her skin reddened with frost.

Except Belarus hadn't been drunk at the time she tried to give herself up to winter. The memory of the coldness in her bones had never left her, even hundreds of years later.

She opened her coat without even truly thinking about it, and closed it around Taiwan until they were both wrapped under it.

"Only to warm you up a while," Belarus said. "That's all."

Taiwan nestled close to her, completely unafraid. Belarus rested her hands at her sides, not on Taiwan's back, like she was strangely tempted to do.

"Really, and here I hoped you were going push me down into the snow and ravish me!" Taiwan said brightly.

Her slur had abruptly dropped. A little too suspiciously. Belarus frowned, considering her. Taiwan had a large grin, like the cat who got the cream.

"You were lying?" Belarus said.

"No, just seeing if you'd take care of me," Taiwan said. She giggled a bit, curling deeper into the coat. "And you did. I knew I was right about you."

Belarus didn't respond. She didn't know what Taiwan had been right about. 

Taiwan kept on talking cheerfully.

"I drank France under the table, you know. I would've tried to out drink Canada, but he's got the drunken power of both France _and_ England. He can even out drink Germany and Netherlands and Prussia."

"Hmmph," Belarus said. She didn't push away, for now Taiwan had laid her head on Belarus's chest. It felt surprisingly good. Few would willingly touched Belarus, let alone snuck under her coat to cuddle. They were always calling her _that psycho girl_ , even within earshot, as if she couldn't hear them and had no heart, as if such words wouldn't hurt a girl as broken as her. 

She couldn't think of a reason why Taiwan would be doing this if she wasn't drunk. A trick, perhaps. She looked suspiciously at her, but didn't push Taiwan back out into the cold.

"It's a very pretty night. I'm glad to spend it with you," Taiwan said.

"Why? We aren't friends," Belarus said coldly.

"But we could be," Taiwan said.

"Or...." Taiwan said, a mischievous grin coming over her cherry pink lips, "we could be more."

She lifted her chin and looked up at Belarus, waiting for something. Belarus raised an eyebrow.

She cupped Belarus's chin and brought her close. Her lips were cool against Belarus's own, and she found herself leaning into and responding to the kiss. Snow fell about them, gathering on their hair and making a crown of white. She forgot about the cold, about the suspicion and let herself enjoy this one, blissful moment of a pretty girl hidden away under her coat, close and kissing her. Belarus had stolen kisses, and had boys who thought they knew her and wanted her, but never anything so mischievous or brazen before.

"You're so cute!" Taiwan said.

Cute? No one but her sister had ever called her cute before, and that was long ago, before the winters took her over and she became cold.

"What are you playing at?" Belarus asked. The coldness had gotten into her voice—into her again. The moment of warmth had disappeared into the air like a white breath in winter.

"Why would I play a trick on you? Is it so hard to believe I like you?" Taiwan said.

Belarus looked at her suspiciously. "No one likes me."

"I do," Taiwan said. 

"Why?" Belarus demanded.

"I need a reason to like you, now?" Taiwan said. "Well, let's see. You're cute."

That reasoning still eluded her. Cute? She couldn't even imagine it. Lithuania had thought her attractive before, but what he liked wasn't her, but a vision of a girl he made in her image. Even then, he didn't think her cute.

"You're really cool and mysterious. It makes me want to get closer to you and find out what secrets you're keeping," Taiwan said. "And I'm sure I could make you smile."

Belarus considered her, as bright and beautiful as a summer's day. In that kiss, she'd forgotten the cold, the isolation, the winter within her. Would another do the same? Could she just keep kissing this summer girl until all the cold was thawed out of her, drawn out through her lips to dissipate in the air?

Could she even be thawed, or had the cold of so many starving years, so many revolutions and bloodshed and rejection left her too cold to be salvaged?

There was only one way to find out. 

Belarus leaned in and lost herself again to a taste of sweet summer.


End file.
